Tesla owners now have an even more obsessive companion app

As the most technologically advanced production cars on the road, Tesla’s vehicles collect a lot of potentially useful data. Unfortunately for Tesla’s diehard fanclub of early adopters, the company’s in-house app doesn’t offer a simple way to get at much of that data. So two obsessive Tesla owners took it upon themselves to build a their own, much more robust companion app called Teslab.

Teslab connects your smartphone to your Tesla Model S or Model X and starts combing through all of the available data to like speed, braking, etc to build a complete picture of your overall driving efficiency. The app will show those efficiency stats overlaid on a map so you can see when your vehicle was efficiently sipping power and when you were just burning through battery range with a leadfoot. The app can show your efficiency for a single trip as well as actual miles vs. battery miles and the amount of money you saved by not using internal combustion, and it will even show how “phantom drain” affected your range while the car was sitting idle.

On the surface, the app aims to at least alleviate range anxiety with a clear picture of the factors affecting that range in the first place. But the co-creators from development studio HappyFunCorp hope that by handing over vehicle data (which includes potentially sensitive location information pulled from the phone) Tesla drivers will eventually help make all connected cars a little smarter. Teslab hopes to use all that information to analyze how things like weather and road conditions affect battery range and eventually make your Tesla talk to your connected home.

“We thought, what if we could build a framework for what the connected car could be,” Teslab co-creater Ben Schippers told TechCrunch. “What if Tesla gave us enough access to our individual cars that we could build a community around what we envision the connected car of the future could be, across all connected cars?”

While the app is still in beta, Schippers says they already have “a huge percentage of the Model X and Model S owners” signed up, and the flood of new Tesla owners expected to come with the release of the Model 3 later this year will add another huge source of data. But the real goal for Schippers and company will be to get all the other big automakers on with a similarly powerful platform.

Via: TechCrunch

Source: Teslap

Civic-planning sim ‘Cities: Skylines’ is coming to Xbox One

The civic-planning simulator Cities: Skylines is making the jump to consoles soon, long after Microsoft teased a port back in August 2015. At an undisclosed date this Spring, Xbox One owners will get their own edition of the game, which comes bundled with the After Dark DLC. Delightful as the title is, how gameplay will make the transition from mouse to console controller is anyone’s guess.

Lest you assume that’s a downgrade and silly thing to wish by console plebes, fans have been wanting controller support since Cities: Skyline first launched in March 2015. And if the Xbox One is your only gaming machine, your urban planning options are pretty slim, so this tranquil successor to the SimCity legacy is a fine option. Get ready to spam your friends list with tilt-shifted pics of your elegantly-constructed utopias.

Source: Cities: Skylines (Xbox)

All opinions are equal in BuzzFeed’s new comment system

President Donald Trump’s election win was shocking to many, which seems to say that Americans understand each other less than ever. Part of this disconnect may be a lack of exposure to opposing viewpoints. That’s what Buzzfeed seems to think, and it’s addressing this problem with something called Outside Your Bubble.

The new feature works like a curated comments section and will be implemented in the site’s most popular news posts (like this one). An area below the story presents a summary of varying reactions from users on Twitter, Facebook, Reddit and other platforms. Clicking one of these summaries leads directly to a relevant post so readers can see first-hand what different people are saying.

BuzzFeed Editor-in-Chief Ben Smith wrote that the goal is to give readers “a sense of the context in which news lives now,” which he believes they may not otherwise get due to their social media tendencies.

“We’re all living in filter bubbles, on social media in particular,” Smith told Bloomberg. “Anybody who works in news has spent the last year watching how social media affects people’s views of the world and can close you off to dissenting views.”

A Wall Street Journal project called “Blue Feed, Red Feed” backs up Smith’s claim by emulating the “echo chambers” liberal and conservative Facebook users create for themselves online. The tool divides news sources into “red” and “blue” political feeds based on data from a 2015 study of Facebook user habits. Browsing posts about Trump shows the conservative publications discuss the POTUS with a positive tone. As you’d expect, the liberal outlets take an opposite stance and are more critical.

The timing of this new feature is interesting, given BuzzFeed’s recent history. The site made news in January for publishing unverified information about Trump’s potential connections with Russia, a move that sparked wide criticism of the publication’s journalistic ethics. Perhaps this backlash is part of what inspired BuzzFeed to reconsider the mechanics of balanced news reporting.

Smith referred to Outside Your Bubble as “an experiment,” so it may not be a permanent BuzzFeed fixture. Wishful thinking aside, the feature probably won’t be able to convince people to consider multiple viewpoints before forming opinions. Upending human nature is tough, but at least BuzzFeed readers will have a centralized way to quickly learn about people and perspectives they don’t always hear from.

Source: Bloomberg, BuzzFeed

MacRumors Giveaway: Win an Apple Pencil PencilCozy-S Combo Pack From Cozy Industries

For this week’s giveaway, we’ve teamed up with Cozy Industries to offer MacRumors readers a chance to win a PencilCozy-S stylus cap for the Apple Pencil.

The PencilCozy-S, designed to attach to the end of an Apple Pencil, serves multiple purposes. It makes sure the Apple Pencil’s end cap is never lost when charging, and it also serves as a dedicated stylus that can be used right alongside the tip of the Apple Pencil.

The band of the PencilCozy-S slides over the body of the Apple Pencil, while the cap portion fits onto the Apple Pencil cap, keeping the two pieces attached. It might seem counterintuitive to put a stylus cap on the Apple Pencil, but it can be used on any iOS device in any app, and is not limited to the iPad Pro. There’s one other added bonus — it prevents your Apple Pencil from rolling off of a flat surface.

According to Cozy Industries, the PencilCozy-S took 11 revisions to get the ideal texture for the best possible stylus experience. It’s designed from a proprietary silicone blend that’s meant to be supple enough for writing and drawing but durable enough to stand up to being tossed in a bag.

At $8.99, the PencilCozy-S is a solid deal, especially because it also ships with a rare earth magnet cap in case you lose your original cap, plus it has a LightningCozy that’s designed to attach your Apple Pencil Lightning adapter to a Lightning cable so it’s never lost.

We’re giving away 25 PencilCozy-S accessories to MacRumors readers. To enter to win, use the Rafflecopter widget below and enter an email address. Email addresses will be used solely for contact purposes to reach the winner and send the prize. You can earn additional entries by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, subscribing to our YouTube channel, following us on Twitter, or visiting the MacRumors Facebook page.

Due to the complexities of international laws regarding giveaways, only U.S. residents who are 18 years of age or older are eligible to enter. To offer feedback or get more information on the giveaway restrictions, please refer to our Site Feedback section, as that is where discussion of the rules will be redirected.

a Rafflecopter giveawayThe contest will run from today (February 17) at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time through 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time on February 24. The winners will be chosen randomly on February 24 and will be contacted by email. The winners will have 48 hours to respond and provide a shipping address before new winners are chosen.

Tags: giveaway, PencilCozy
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Sprint and T-Mobile Merger Back on the Table as SoftBank Agrees to Cede Control of Sprint

Sprint parent company SoftBank is prepared to sell Sprint to T-Mobile parent company Deutsche Telekom, reviving a potential merger between the two companies, reports Reuters.

According to unnamed sources that spoke to the site, SoftBank is reportedly frustrated with Sprint’s growth in the United States and is ready to surrender control of the company and take a minority stake in T-Mobile.

Back in 2013, before T-Mobile soared in popularity, the situation was reversed. Sprint was prepared to purchase T-Mobile in a deal said to be worth more than $20 billion, but Sprint abandoned its plans in 2014 amid regulatory scrutiny, deciding that it would be too difficult to win approval from regulators.

At the time, U.S. antitrust officials reportedly told Sprint that having four national carriers in the United States was important to maintaining a competitive market. AT&T also once attempted to purchase T-Mobile, but that deal fell through too after being blocked by the Federal Communications Commission and the Department of Justice.

Given T-Mobile’s recent success, Deutsche Telekom is no longer interested in selling the company, leaving SoftBank to pursue another merger strategy.

Sprint and T-Mobile will likely face the same regulatory scrutiny if a potential purchase deal is reached between the two.

Investors have said a merger between T-Mobile and Sprint, ranked third and fourth respectively, would still face antitrust challenges, but made strategic sense as the industry moves to fifth-generation wireless technology. Carriers will need to spend billions of dollars to upgrade to 5G networks that promise to be 10 times to 100 times faster than current speeds.

While SoftBank is still open to discussing other options, it is now willing to surrender control of Sprint and retain a minority stake in a merger with T-Mobile, the sources said. They asked not to be identified because the deliberations are confidential.

The two companies have not yet started to discuss a deal because of strict anti-collusion rules that are in place during an ongoing spectrum auction. The auction, which is being overseen by the FCC, ends on March 30, and negotiations are expected to begin at that time.

Tags: Sprint, T-Mobile
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Android Auto: A driver’s dream app

Overview:

Android Auto is an app that enables “driving mode” for your android device, simplifying the UI and granting quick and easy access to music, maps, and phone functions so you’re not distracted swapping apps while driving.

Developer: Google Inc.

Cost: Free

Impressions:

Driving while distracted is very dangerous, no doubt about that. However, life doesn’t stop just because you’re in the car, calls, texts, and tons of other messages on your phone will come through regardless. So, instead of reaching for your phone and fumbling through those apps, endangering yourself and others, use Android Auto instead. Phone calls, GPS, text messages, and music control are all displayed on the app in a simplified and intuitive UI that reduces the time spent looking at the screen and allows you to focus on driving while still being connected to your phone.

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Android Auto is probably most popular as a built-in feature on many new cars today, where you just plug in your compatible phone and the car’s infotainment system is converted to Android Auto, with your phone as the car’s UI. Recently, Google has made Android Auto a standalone app on the Play Store, allowing those of us with older cars or those who are unwilling to splurge on a new Android Auto-enabled head unit to gain access to the experience. The app on your phone is identical to the in-car equivalent, with the simple unified UI and voice and touch controls. Auto makes using your phone while driving a dream, allowing you to control phone calls, Google Maps directions and music playback from any app without fumbling with the main app versions. The home screen for Auto provides a “recents” list of calls, locations, and music you were using last, for quick access. The app has three sections for each of the main functions, and a sub-menu for each one for more options in each. It’s an easy to navigate and elegant solution for those of us who juggle multiple apps on long car trips.

Android Auto is also fully voice-controllable, allowing full hands-free control using the familiar “OK, Google” commands. My favorite feature is voice texting; Text messages are read aloud to you, and you can reply using your voice or set a “driving mode” auto response. Speech detection is excellent, as long as you speak clearly, and I’ve had zero issues with my dictated messages so far in my weeks of use. Voice control also works for music playback, simply request an artist or playlist and it’ll queue right up.

There are a few quality-of-life settings in the app that make the transition to Auto really easy, including auto-on for Bluetooth connection so when you connect to your car’s Bluetooth the app will launch. Also, “wi-fi suspend” mode will disable wi-fi while in the car so you don’t have to worry about wasting battery searching for signal. You can also choose to keep the screen always on, so you don’t have to worry about sleep mode during a long trip. These settings make it a rather seamless transition when getting in and out of the car.

Conclusion:

Android Auto is a very solid experience and I’ve had very few problems with it in my time using it. I do wish there was a way to get some more in-depth control of the music app for selecting a specific song in a playlist without having to search through the queue but I suppose that it’s better that I look at the road rather than my phone. Also, Android Auto is really best used with a phone mount in your car, so there is that additional cost for the best experience.

Besides that, Android Auto is an excellent app that I would recommend to everyone for driving. The convenience and added safety it gives you are second to none and if you are a heavy phone user in the car you really can’t afford to not use this app.

Download Android Auto from the Google Play Store

New Android virus poses as an Adobe Flash Player update

Why it matters to you

If you’re an Android user, think twice before installing an Adobe Flash Player update. It might be a virus.

If you use an Android device and happen upon an update for Adobe Flash player, you’d best not download it. A new strain of malware posing as an innocuous software upgrade is spreading like wildfire via social media and compromised websites.

It looks legitimate enough to fool, at first. A malicious link directs unwitting users to a download page that instructs you to “upgrade” Adobe Flash, a browser plugin designed to run multimedia games and apps on the web. In truth, it downloads a malicious application called “Android/TrojanDownloader.Agent.Jl”.

More: New Android malware uses your phone to attack your wireless router

A second message, which appears after several seconds has elapsed, falsely warns users that their device’s battery-saving mode has been disabled, and prompts them to toggle a switch to enable it again. Users who do so are redirected to the Android Accessibility settings page, where the malware overlays a fake “Saving Battery” option.

If the fake option is toggled, the malware’s effectively granted permission to monitor actions, retrieve window content, and turn on device features at will. It will contact a remote server, sending the compromised device’s details and initiating the download of more apps, adware, and even spyware.

The damage can be difficult to undo. A false device lock screen prevents users from uninstalling the app. And even if it’s bypassed, removing the trojan from the Settings menu doesn’t remove any apps it installed surreptitiously.

More: Your Android might be controlled by a malicious Twitter account

Lukas Stefanko, an ESET malware researcher, told Neowin the best way to remove the trojan is to use a mobile security solution.

The best way to protect yourself is to avoid downloading and installing suspicious files from the internet. The malware’s references to Flash Player should be a tip off, too — Adobe discontinued support for the plugin on Android as a result of stability and security concerns.

The malware’s far from the first of its kind. “Gooligan,” an app which which can steal your Gmail account and authentication information, install apps from the Google Play store, rate them without consent, and install adware, infected more than one million devices last year. Another, “Humingbad,” which fraudulently injects third-party ads into applications, was detected on as many as ten million devices in July 2016.

More: Google’s virus-scanning Verify Apps feature for Android reveals its secrets

Luckily, Google’s taking charge. At the recent RSA security conference in San Francisco on Wednesday, the search giant announced that Verify Apps, an Android security feature which automatically scans devices for viruses and malware, checked more than 750 million Android devices each day last year. And Google said it’s working with 351 wireless carriers to improve the time it takes to test security patches before deploying them to users.

Kodak follows the Ektra with a tablet thanks to new license agreement

Why it matters to you

Just because something has the Kodak name on it doesn’t mean it was actually designed by the historic camera company, and its new tablet is no exception.

After introducing a smartphone at the end of 2016, Kodak’s next venture will be into tablets — sort of. On Thursday, February 16, the Eastman Kodak Company announced that it would license the Kodak name to Archos, a European company, for tablets.

The company has licensed its brand name to several different products since filing for bankruptcy back in 2012. The Kodak Ektra smartphone, for example, is designed and manufactured by the Bullitt Group. By licensing their brand name, the company puts its stamp on products that may not have otherwise come to light, or at least not with the trusted Kodak name on it.

More:  Want more gigs? Kodak’s new online, on-demand photography platform could help

The upcoming tablet is expected to use an 8-megapixel camera and 3G for sharing those photos. The Kodak-branded tablet will also come preloaded with several photo and video apps. The tablet will use a “chic design with the latest technologies,” the company says.

While specific details were limited with the new brand license announcement, Archos expects to bring the tablet to market before this summer.

”We are excited to be adding Archos to our portfolio of brand licensees,” said Brian Cruz, vice president and general manager of Kodak’s Consumer Products Group. “Archos has a strong track record in the computer tablet sector. The French brand was the first to introduce a Google Android tablet in 2009 and is recognized as a key player in the European tablet market with broad retail presence.”

Kodak’s range of branded products that don’t actually come from the company ranges from printers to camera accessories, flashlights to eyeglass lenses. According to its website, each product Kodak licenses from other companies is vetted to adhere to Kodak’s standards even though they don’t come from the company’s development team.

Kodak says the brand license is for the European tablet market. It’s unclear if the branded tablet will also make it’s way outside of Europe.

Build a smartphone ring light with a 3D printer and $60 in parts

Why it matters to you

If you like to get a hands-on look at how gadgets work, this smartphone ring light offers some insight if you have some extreme DIY skills.

Ring lights offer nice, even lighting with minimal shadows — and now you can design one for your smartphone. That is, if you have a 3D printer and some mad DIY skills.

The project comes from Adafruit, a company that designs electronics specifically for learning — and for crafting DIY rigs like the ring light. The light will cost around $60 in parts, excluding the cost of a 3D printer and materials.

More: 3D-printed miniature camera sees the world the way a bird of prey does

The project uses RGBW LED lights, which produce more accurate colors without needing to custom set a white balance. Unlike inexpensive selfie ring lights on the market, this DIY surrounds the entire smartphone and uses a tripod mount for hands-free shooting.

The Neopixel Ring Light isn’t a use-a-milk-carton-as-a-flash-diffuser sort of DIY — it involves soldering, electrical circuits, and minor coding. Like other Adafruit projects, it’s designed both as a learning experience and to produce a usable gadget.

The light uses two different types of Neopixel kits. That lighting is connected to an Adafruit Trinket micro controller. The unit is powered by a lithium battery that slides into a lipo backpack, also an Adafruit Trinket.

The circuits, batteries, and lights are all wired into a frame that’s 3D printed. The print file is designed for the latest iPhones, but adjusting the print file could adapt the light to other models, since the smartphone simply snaps into the printed base once everything’s wired up. The base is designed to snap the smartphone in “screen out,” so the light is for the front-facing camera, not the rear one. The files take about five hours to 3D print.

With the parts in and the mount printed, the DIY takes some soldering, wiring, and a good old-fashioned screwdriver to put it all together. A standard-size tripod ring mount on the back allows you to use that light for hands-free selfies, videos, and other shots.

Build a smartphone ring light with a 3D printer and $60 in parts

Why it matters to you

If you like to get a hands-on look at how gadgets work, this smartphone ring light offers some insight if you have some extreme DIY skills.

Ring lights offer nice, even lighting with minimal shadows — and now you can design one for your smartphone. That is, if you have a 3D printer and some mad DIY skills.

The project comes from Adafruit, a company that designs electronics specifically for learning — and for crafting DIY rigs like the ring light. The light will cost around $60 in parts, excluding the cost of a 3D printer and materials.

More: 3D-printed miniature camera sees the world the way a bird of prey does

The project uses RGBW LED lights, which produce more accurate colors without needing to custom set a white balance. Unlike inexpensive selfie ring lights on the market, this DIY surrounds the entire smartphone and uses a tripod mount for hands-free shooting.

The Neopixel Ring Light isn’t a use-a-milk-carton-as-a-flash-diffuser sort of DIY — it involves soldering, electrical circuits, and minor coding. Like other Adafruit projects, it’s designed both as a learning experience and to produce a usable gadget.

The light uses two different types of Neopixel kits. That lighting is connected to an Adafruit Trinket micro controller. The unit is powered by a lithium battery that slides into a lipo backpack, also an Adafruit Trinket.

The circuits, batteries, and lights are all wired into a frame that’s 3D printed. The print file is designed for the latest iPhones, but adjusting the print file could adapt the light to other models, since the smartphone simply snaps into the printed base once everything’s wired up. The base is designed to snap the smartphone in “screen out,” so the light is for the front-facing camera, not the rear one. The files take about five hours to 3D print.

With the parts in and the mount printed, the DIY takes some soldering, wiring, and a good old-fashioned screwdriver to put it all together. A standard-size tripod ring mount on the back allows you to use that light for hands-free selfies, videos, and other shots.